What does it mean to "PLAY" with your baby? How do I do this?
There is a lot of research that supports that babies learn through play and it's important to feel confident as a parent in your play skills!

Pediatrics Plus is now offering ABA therapy at some of our locations, however, unlike the other therapies we offer (OT, PT, Speech), it isn't as well known. Keep reading to find out more about ABA Therapy.

Halloween is just a few days away and for many families it means celebrating school parties, church carnivals, or trick-or-treating. While it can be a fun and exciting time for children, it is important to remember that Halloween can also be stressful, especially for those children with dietary restrictions.

The school year will be here before you know it, which can be stressful to some parents with children heading off to kindergarten. We have compiled a checklist of items to work on with your child to best prepare them for the big transition. Starting school doesn’t have to be scary with these helpful tips:

The school year will be here before you know it, which can be stressful to some parents with children heading off to kindergarten. We have compiled some items to work on with your child to best prepare them for the big transition.

This holiday season, we wanted to offer you some great developmental toys you can make from items in your home! These toys are fun for both parents and children as you get to see your little one explore and learn new ways to problem solve. These toy examples are best for children up to age 5.

As the holiday season approaches, we are reminded of the importance of thankfulness. Since gratitude is on our minds this time of year, it serves as a great opportunity to reinforce an attitude of gratitude with your children. Pediatrics Plus has compiled a list of ways to help incorporate this into your everyday family life.

Halloween is a holiday with no limitations. It is the one day of the year where we can be absolutely anything we want! This includes children and adults in wheelchairs. While some may feel that a wheelchair gets in the way of expressing full Halloween creativity, we have seen that this is anything but true.

All the fun of trick or treating that comes with Halloween is something most families look forward to. For those living with a special needs child, this holiday can present some unique challenges. We have created a FREE printable card for children who are non-verbal or not comfortable saying "Trick or Treat." Have your child use this card to make their Halloween night a little more enjoyable!

Sports are an excellent way for children to learn a variety of important life skills such as work ethic, coordination, teamwork and social skills. As parents, we have both the privilege and responsibility to assist our children in using opportunities such as youth sports to grow and develop in these areas. Below are a few tips that can help you and your child get the most out of youth sports.

Reading with your child is one of the best activities you can do to build his language and literacy. However, it can be challenging, especially if your child doesn’t seem to be interested. Did you know that his lack of interest could be due to his choice of book? Since a child’s ability to engage with books can vary by age and developmental level, we have compiled a guide to help you choose the best, age appropriate books for your child.

Playing with your toddler is one of the best activities you can do to enhance her brain development. But, what does play that best stimulates the brain look like? Below are a few ideas to help you understand how to create developmentally effective play opportunities for your toddler.

Playing with your baby from the day she is born is one of the best things you can do to enhance her development. Unfortunately, many new parents don’t realize their new baby can actually engage in “play.”

As parents, we've become addicted to praising our kids. But as we try to make them feel good about themselves 24-7, we actually may be harming them. Even if your praise is sincere, you may not be using it the right way. If you use it the right way, it's a valuable tool for reinforcing good behavior, boosting your child's self-esteem, and making him or her feel loved, appreciated, and inspired.

Youth sports are a great way for a child to get exercise while having fun! But unfortunately, all sports have a risk of injury. The more contact in a sport, the greater the risk of injury and most injuries in young athletes are due to overuse. These tips can reduce the risk of injury and help parents promote a safe, optimal sports experience for their child.

Activities and exercise are important for children in order for them to maintain good health all year long. But, when the weather gets cold, it’s harder to get children outside to keep them moving. With a few quick and easy ideas, you can turn your home into a safe and fun space to keep your kids moving throughout those cold months.

In this month's edition of In the Kitchen with Hadley and Lizzy, the girls make Christmas cookies with their friend Wyatt.

Having kids help in the kitchen introduces them to all kinds of new foods, helps teach math, shows kids how to follow steps in order, teaches critical thinking and problem solving, helps develop fine motor skills, and so much more! And most importantly, it allows you to spend quality time with your kiddos!

Cutting out and decorating Christmas cookies is something kids of ALL abilities can help with, so get in that kitchen and get to cooking!

With Christmas just around the corner, we have compiled a list of some of our favorite toys for the babies and toddlers in your life! These toys target fine motor, gross motor, sensory and cognitive development. The toys listed below encourage creative play and discovery.

Determining the best toys to purchase for children at Christmas can be an overwhelming task with all of the choices available online and in stores. As parents and caregivers, we want to choose toys that our children will enjoy, but can also help promote their development. Although some toys are marketed as educational and developmental, they unfortunately may not actually be best for a child’s development.

As we hope you learned in our first Benefits of Play post, play is the way children learn about themselves and the world. Through play, chilren learn to get along with others, sort out conflicts, practice language skills, and develop small (fine) and large (gross) motor skills. In addition, play encourages independence, self-esteem, and creativity!

Today, we will explore the difference in Active Play and Passive Play.

Welcome to our second segment of In the Kitchen with Hadley and Lizzy! Cooking with your child is one of the best ways to make connections across and amongst many disciplines. Children learn by touching, tasting, seeing, feeling, and listening.

This week, the girls have brought in a special guest, Logan, to teach us how to make Turkey Cheese Balls!

Family mealtimes allow for social modeling of our behaviors to expand what our children will eat. Research shows we need at least 10 tries of a food on 10 different occasions to decide if we like it. We can help our children by setting a mealtime routine and exploring foods through all of our senses.

A mealtime will consist of the child and at least one adult. Each mealtime should consist of a protein, starch or carbohydrate, and fruit or vegetable.

Every day, parents hug and kiss their babies and send them off to school wearing their backpacks. Unknowingly, these loving parents, if uneducated about backpack safety, could be placing their child at an increased risk for neck and back pain.

Play is the way children learn about themselves and the world. Through play, they learn to get along with others, sort out conflicts, practice language skills, and develop small (fine) and large (gross) motor skills. In addition, play encourages independence, self-esteem, and creativity!

We are excited to launch our fall series: In the Kitchen with Hadley Lizzy! At Pediatrics Plus, we are committed to promoting and encouraging healthy child development tips and activities that you and your family can try at home.

Cooking with your child is one of the best ways to make connections across and amongst many disciplines. Children learn by touching, tasting, seeing, feeling, and listening.

Halloween is a holiday with no limitations. It is the one day of the year where we can be absolutely anything we want! This includes children and adults in wheelchairs. While some may feel that a wheelchair gets in the way of expressing full Halloween creativity, we have seen that this is anything but true. The internet is full of fanciful, fun, imaginative costumes for both children and adults in wheelchairs, walkers, and other devices. For this halloween, we have put together some of our favorite costumes with how-to tutorials! So put on your creativity hats and make this year's costume the best one yet for your child!

According to the National Sporting Goods Association, more Americans ride bicycles than ski, golf, or play tennis combined. As you and your family embark on a fun day of bicycle riding, it is important to remember that bike safety should involve a lot more than just a helmet and observing the rules of the road. In fact, the American Physical Therapy Association says that bike-related injuries are largely preventable. Check out the 7 rules of bicycling safety and perform a basic bike check on all bikes in your home to ensure a fun and safe ride!

A textbook chapter can appear monumental to a student with ADHD, but when broken down into sections the task becomes less overwhelming and threatening. When studying chapters in a textbook, students can use the popular SQ3R Method.

As child care professionals, parents, and adults involved in child development, it is important to constantly ask yourself: “Am I allowing a screen to replace a person in teaching and playing with this child?” All too often, as therapists, teachers, and parents, we rely on a device to teach language, hand-eye coordination, and concepts in place of ourselves. In doing that, we are promoting static brain development over an engaged brain.

Because of the nature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, students with ADHD face special challenges at school. For instance, most students lose focus easily, while some students have difficulty completing boring or demanding tasks.

Studies have found that homework problems increase as children get older, and that children with both ADHD and learning disabilities struggle even more with studying. But your child can succeed in school if he or she has the right tools!

We have scoured the web and the brains of our fabulous staff to come up with 9 super-fun, super-inexpensive summer activities for you and your child!

These dollar-store activities will help your child’s development by teaching them to exercise their minds and their bodies. To get the full benefits of learning, play, enjoyment, and child development out of these activities, have your child help with every step!

While store-bought toys are typically thought of as being essential to playtime, inexpensive household items can make a great alternative for creating fun summer activities and toys that can help your child’s development.

This activity will spark creativity, build fine motor skills, and can be a learning aid to teach children about the animals they are making.

The early years of a child’s life are very important for his or her health and development. Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, behave, and move (crawling, walking, etc.).

Download our printable Developmental Milestones Guide to use as a reference for your child's development.

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